


the names of the bowl (there are much worse games to play)

by orphan_account



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-16 09:29:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/860582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Harry's alone, and Lou is an diamond in the rough. Almost literally. Hunger Games AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	the names of the bowl (there are much worse games to play)

"Harry, this will be easier if you start off with everything you know. Tell me a few things about yourself." he tells me. I bury my head in my coat. I have always hated ~~my~~ therapy sessions, and I know I always will. After I coming back home, I had some really difficult weeks. So now I have Dr. Walsh. He tries to help me, to make these nightmares go away. He really does. But it’s hard to open up about the week I will never forget. Deep down, I know the memories will never leave me. And neither will the nightmares. 

            “My name is Harry Styles. I’m 16. I come from District 4, and I won the 25th Hunger Games, the Quarter Quell”

And that’s when those voices start shouting in my head.

They’re not just voices, they’re horrible flashes of images as well.

The worst part is that it’s not something fake, it’s not an illusion. Every one of them, every horrible picture I can see in my mind… actually happened. I’m Harry Styles, and this is my story.

&&

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the 25th Hunger Games begin, and may the odds be _ever_ in your favor **!** " a voice booms from some sort of hidden set of speakers throughout the arena.

This year was different, instead of being randomly picked to fight to death against another 23 other unlucky girls and boys, I was voted by my own district. They held an election the day before the reaping and gave the results the next day.

 

 

The worst part was that I sort of knew it would be me.

The only thing I can’t figure out is _why_ they picked me, a nobody, to compete in the Games. They could’ve picked someone that they knew had chances of winning.

In District Four, winning the Games is a huge honor. You get fame and fortune and don’t have to work as a fisherman for the rest of your life. We’re a District of Careers, the ones who _want_ to get chosen, who train beforehand and have the best chances of winning.

But in District Four, I was reallyquiet and at school I’d never made a friend. I’m not particularly strong or good-looking, which would get me sponsors, and I am small for my height, all skin and bones.

I clutch a piece of net I had placed into my pocket as my token. One of my mother’s nets.

Four years ago, both of my parents died at the sea, and I am their first and only born.

I like to think my parents would be proud that Four picked me, that they believed in me.

The countdown begins, jerking me back into reality, and I  _try_ to look around at everything around me. The only problem is that I can’t. The entire arena is pitch black. I have no idea what is even a step in front of me.

As the countdown numbers dwindle down all the way to zero, I force myself to step off the metal plate, and I find myself smiling.

I’m falling into ice cold water, but even this is ahuge advantage to me. Thanks to District 4, I’ve been swimming all my life. Some of the other tributes are probably still on their metal plates, or drowning, or maybe even freezing, if that’s not too much to ask.

I make my way over to the where I think I’ll find the Cornucopia and I’m not disappointed. I rummage around the contents of it in the darkness.

Finally, I find what will be the most helpful thingin an arena like this: a flashlight. I flick it on.

I have thirty, maybe evenforty seconds to grab a weapon and some other supplies before the other tributes will show up.

I pick a blow dart shooter and grab the rest of the flashlights, a backpack, and a pair of sunglasses. I doubt I’ll need them,but there’s no food in the Cornucopia this year, and I have an almost empty backpack on my hands.

They’re obviously here for a reason, anyways.

I jump back into the water and search for a way of getting out of this main part of the arena. I survey the circular dome structure they’ve put us in. It looks like this is it, but I certainlyknow it can’t be. They’d never keep us so close together, especially with all the hype of the Quarter Quell. We’d all be dead by tonight. And that wouldn’t be entertaining for the Capitol, would it?

I turn on one of my flashlights. I think they must be waterproof, as it hasn’t died out.

That is when I see it. Six small passages in the walls spread out among the dome.

I swim as fast as I can over to them and for the first time in the Games, I’m actually scared. The passages are about 4 feet tall and being a 6 foot tall male, I will have to crouch to cross through them. It will be painful to be in that position for a long time, and it could go on for miles as far as I know. Also, the entire passage could very wellcollapse on me as well as one of the Gamemakers tricks. To top it off, I’m claustrophobic.

After about an hour of crawling through the passage, I get a moment of panic as I wonder if I was right, that this _was_ a trick and the passage does go on forever. I don’t give myself any time to rest though, because as I took all the flashlights, I will obviously have pursuers. But,soon I find daylight at the end of the small tunnel.

There is another sea in here, and this must be the actual arena. It’s giant.

There is a huge mountain range to the east and tall trees to the west. I slowly start to make my way to the edge of the forest when I realize this will be a hugemistake.

Why should I go into the deep forest when I could make camp here by the ocean? If I see anyone comingI can just dive into it and outswim them.

I laugh to myself and wait.

There’s the obvious subject of getting food and water, but I can eat walk close to the forest as it’s not far and eat bark off the trees. For water, I can simply find it underneath the earth from a small homemade well.

That’s how we get all our water from District Four, at least.

Soon I hear the cannons indicating the fighting at the Cornucopia is over and they can count the dead.

There’s thirteen in all.Thirteen dead in justone day. Eleven in all left to play.

I walk along the beach and watch all the fish swim by.

 _All the_   _fish swim by!_

I take my blow dart shooter, shoot the fish, and clean my kill.

I haven’t eaten anything all day but fish was mostly my daily food at home, anyways, so I’m happy for that. At least I have managed to survive for the first day.

I remember eating the fish, and I remember laying out in the sun to watch for anyone entering through the passages.

That’s the last thing I remember before I open my green eyes and see blue ones in front of them.

 

&&

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my wonderful beta, harrehtopss.tumblr.com! :)


End file.
